Refrigerating cabinet



Aug, Hi, W31; w. F. GRUPE REFRIGERATING CABINET Filed June 15, 192'? 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY.

Aug, 11,, $310 w. F. GRUPE REFRIGERATING CABINET Filed June 13, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY.

4 Sheets-Sheet 5 W. F. GRUPE REFRIGERATING CABINET Filed June 13, 1927 l l L I l l INVENTOR ATTORNEY.-

Z Z O 2 a O 2 .rlllll Ill Auge 11, 1931. W. F. (GRUPE LSISJZQ REFIZIGERATICYG CABINET Filed Jun? 15.

4 Sheets-Sheet 4 I INVEZORI RNEY' Patented Aug. 11, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM I. GRUPE, 0F RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO ARMSTRONG CORK COMPANY, OF LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA REFRIGERATING CABINET Application filed June 13, 1927. Serial No. 198,673.

This invention relates to refrigerating cabinets, particularly of the so-called house hold types.

My invention is particularly adapted for refrigerators of the electrical or other icemaking types.

In present day refrigerator cabinet constructions, the exterior faces are either of wood or metal and the interior faces are usually of porcelain or enamelled metal, and corkboard is interposed between the exterior and interior faces as the thermal insulation.

Corkboard as heretofore manufactured is formed of granules of cork, which are substantially fiat spheroids or ellipsoids in shape, and the resulting corkboard is brittle and of low tensile strength, and diflicult to machine to obtain sharp corners. The relatively large cork granules cause openings to be present between the granules and give rise to coarse surfaces on the fiat faces and edges of the board.

Such coarse faces of the corkboard do not present practical surfaces for the application of any enamel or the like finish, as the finish would flow into the surface openings and reduce the thermal resistance. Such openings of present day corkboard readily absorb water, moisture and food odors, thus giving rise to unsanitary conditions as well as temperature losses due to the thereby reduced thermal insulation.

At the corners wooden or metal frames are employed, which serve'as conductors of heat and hence reduce the insulation efliciency as compared with the bodyof the cabinet. Corkboa-rd pursuant to present practice, is manufactured of standard slabs of 12 x 36", and to economize in the total quantity surface to the exterior surface of the insulation and asphalt is a relatively high conductor of heat as compared with corkboard. Also, due to the unavoidable rough finish of saw cut ends and broken edges of ordinary corkboard which is formed of cork granules, a large number of the joints present an actual wall having a thickness exceeding one-eighth of an inch of asphalt, which are veritable thermal leakage paths.

When an interior metal or porcelain lining is used, the joint between the lining and the frame is attempted to be sealed by means of a plastic cement, usually of white lead, castor oil and balsam, but such cement in practice does dry out and due to changes of temperature incident to the use of the refrigerator cabinet shrinks and cracks, causing actual leak openings, and due .to the pumping action arising by reason of the difference of temperature of the interior of the cabinet and that of the insulation of the walls, the odors from the interior of the cabinet are pumped into the insulation space. These odors are caused by particles of food and are seriously objectionable and eventually the particles of food stuff transferred by the pumping action become actually putrid.

A primary object of my invention is the construction of a refrigerating cabinet wherein substantially the whole of each wall of the cabinet is formed of corkboard. Preferably, the cork Walls are of baked corkboard and the outer and inner exposed faces of the corkboard are finished directly with enamel, wood, metal or the like.

As a preferred form of such corkboard, I form each wall of the cabinet of an individual slab of corkboard serving as substantially the whole of the wall, the faces of each slab being formed of cork compressed to maximum density, and the interior of the corkboard of relatively less density. Such form of corkboard presents smooth and con tinuous surfaces at its faces on the interior as well as the exterior of the Wall rendering the surfaces immune to penetration by water, moisture or odors or the like.

The cork walls preferably abut one another by chamfered or other non-rectilinear joints, which are usually bonded by asphalt.

In the prior art constructions, where onamel is relied upon to seal the metal joint, losses may arise by the failure of the enamel or cracking thereof, permitting air infiltration and the resulting deposit of water and other moisture in the insulation between the inner and outer faces of the wall.

In all such prior refrigerator cabinet constructions the thermally insulating material constitutes but fifty per cent or less of the total wall, the wood, metal or other remaining material serving as conductors of heat and otherwise lowering the thermal insulation efficiency of the refrigerator cabinet.

The above referred to defects are present in the door construction as well as in the walls. In practice, it has been deemed necessary to employ even a higher percentage of wood or metal for the door construction as compared with the wall construction, so that by reason of the area of the door averaging approximately twenty percent of the total outside area of the cabinet, the relatively low thermal insulation of the door causes a large amount of moisture to condense on the inner and outer surfaces of the door and of the door frame, thereby further increasing the thermal losses and also effecting a destruction of the enamel, Duco or other finish on the door.

Pursuant to my invention, cork is employed as substantially the sole maerial of the walls and the door of the refrigerator cabinet, thereby excluding thermal losses through the walls andthrough and about the door.

Preferably, the corkboard for the walls and the door are formed of cork particles, which are treated to render the outermost faces of maximum density, and the interior of minimum density. One method of manufacture of such form of corkboard is set forth in my co-pending application Serial No. 223,300 entitlel Composite cork bodies, sheets, blocks, etc., and method of producing same, filed October 1, 1927, pursuant to which cork particles are charged into molds of proper contour, then compressed to the desired degree; the molds are then subjected to a rapid baking under high temperature as by placing the molds on a small truck running on a track within the oven. The interior of the oven is raised K) a temperature, say 600* F., whereby the high temperature encountered suddenly by the exterior of each mold causes a rapid baking and consequent maturing to a crust of dense formation of the cork particles in contact with the outer faces of the metal mold. Upon penetration of the high temperature inwardly of the cork mass, the resin natural in cork, moisture and the like are converted into gases, the pressure of which increases as the crust of the corkboard is rendered more and more dense.

Upon completion of the baking stage, the molds and containedcorkboard are allowed to cool.

The outermost dense crust of each cork wall eflects a substantially continuous surface at each of the outer faces of the corkboard, that is to say, without openings, pores or the like, with the presence to more or less extent of resin natural in cork distributed over the outermost faces, and the edges, corners and lateral faces of the corkboard are also of the dense crust formation.

By applying asphalt as a thin coating on the corkboard faces a minimum coating of asphalt is most effective in bonding the joints of zibutting faces and in effecting a permanent sea Cork particles of thefiake or other thin flat form are advantageously employed in the manufacture of my corkboard, as above.

described. Pursuant to the method set forth in my co-pending application Serial No. 202,564 filed by me on the 30th day of June, 1927, entitled Method of forming corkboard from cork plates and resulting product, I utilize plates of cork derived by severing natural cork into strips of substantial thickness and breaking said strips into subdivided portions while preserving the thickness.

In the above forms of my corkboard of dense outer crust formation, the absence of openings, pores and the like renders the corkboard forming the body of the walls and the door of the cabinet immune from absorption of water, moisture and of food odors.

It is desirable for the sake of appearance, to apply suitable finish material to the inner or outer faces of the cork walls, and such finish may be of any character as may be preferred, since my corkboard is readily adapted to receive all types of finish.

For an enamel finish, the corkboard is coated with asphalt, applied in hot liquid state, and upon cooling of the same, white or other enamel or other paint may be applied to the asphalt coating. Similarly Duco or other lacquer ma be applied to the asphalt base. I also emp 0y magnesite or other plastic cement, or plastic cracked stone or marble mixtures or cements which harden upon setting.

For wood finish, strips of veneer of the desired wood are suitably secured to the faces of the corkboard. Asphalt may be used as the binding material or base. Also, if desired thin metal may be ap lied to the corkboard and the exposed surfhce of the metal enamelled, lacquered, or otherwise finished.

To support and reinforce the thus assembled cork cabinet, Iemploy a frame which ation which effects a positive supply of chilled air into the inter1or of the refrigerator cabinet by means of a fan or other positive air current producing means, and the return from the interior of the refrigerator cabinet of the warmed air into a cooling unit for the chilling of the same and subsequent w positive circulating supply of the resulting chilled air. to the interior of the cabinet.

Further features and objects of the invention will be more fully understood from the following detail description and the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator cabinet of the household type embodying the features of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 isa sectional elevation on line 44 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of an 1nternal cork wall of the refrigerator, illustrating an improved form of cork wall having its outermost facial portions of maximum density.

Fig. 6- is a sectional elevation through line 6-6 of Fig. 5, showing the modification of corkboard formed from cork granules; and

Fig. 7 is a sectional elevation similar to Fig. 6, but illustrating corkboard formed from fiat cork flakes.

Referring to Fig. 1, a convenient form of frame for my corkboard refrigerator cabinet comprises the angle irons 15 extending vertically of the cabinet, the angle irons 16 extending horizontally at the top and bottom, and the angle irons 17 extending horizontally intermediate the top and bottom angle irons 16. The ends of the angle irons are welded or otherwise rigidly secured to one another.

Each side and rear wall 18 of my cabinet, as above set forth preferably of substantially wholly corkboard, is'positioned between its top angle iron 16 and its intermediate angle iron 17 and between its vertical angle irons 15 to which it is secured by means of a coating of asphalt. The top corkboard wall 19 of the cabinet is positioned between the top angle irons 16 in a similar manner, and is wholly of corkboard.

The bottom corkboard wall 20 is similarly retained between the intermediate angle irons 17 by asphalt, and is wholly of corkboard.

As is indicated in F ig. 2, each joint at the faces of abutting corkboards is preferably of the stepped or other broken angular formation as is indicated at 21, and a coating of asphalt applied to the abutting faces.

As above set forth, the respective slabs of corkboard constitute the entirety of the respective walls of the cabinet and per se serve as the thermal insulating material of the respective walls, while the frame of angle iron or equivalent is disposed wholly on one surface only of the resulting cabinet, in this in. stance the outer surface of the resulting cabinet. Each wall is preferably of anintegral mass of corkboard.

The corkboard of each wall also serves to support the brackets for shelving and any and all other structural elements desired to be supported by the refrigerator cabinet. As one instance of such supporting function, I illustrate the oppositely disposed brackets, 18*, of desired number, which are secured by screws or other fastening means to the respective corkboard walls 18, 18, for carrying regulation open mesh trays or the like for supporting dishes cotaining food stuff, food stuff per se, bottles and the like.

The inner surfaces of the corkboard walls of the cabinet are finished as maybe desired, and primarily for obtaining sanitary conditions.

The bottom wall 20 of the cabinet may be finished by a layer of tile 22, or hardened coating of ground marble, ground stone, or other plastically applied cement or the like, which is supported by the bottom cork wall.

Preferably, each wall of the cabinet is of corkboard having hardened exterior faces, i. e., of relatively dense exterior surfaces, and also preferably molded to the final outline as required for the particular walls.

For example, in Fig. 5 I illustrate a slab 18 corresponding to the two oppositely disposed side walls 18 of the cabinet illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, the stepped or chamfered faces21 corresponding to the stepped or chamfered joints 21 appearing in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

For the particular wall 18 which in this instance is disposed laterally of the door of the cabinet, each slab 18 is formed to have the cut-away portion 18b to receive and retain therein, see Fig. 3. a strip of wood 60, or the like, as a part of the inner door frame.

The bottom wall 20 is similarly cut away as as is indicated at 20a, to receive the wooden strip 61 forming the bottom strip of the inner frame of the door, and likewise the top corkboard wall 19 is cut away (not shown) corresponding to the cut away We of the bottom corkboard wall 20 to receive and retain a top frame strip corresponding to the bottom frame strip 61.

Such wooden frame serves as facing material for the faces of the side Walls 18, 18 top wall 19, and bottom wall 20 to form a seal with the door when the door is in closed position.

The door 23, see Fig. 1, may extend the full front face of the cabinet, and the body of the door is preferably formed of an integral mass or slab of corkboard, and also preferably baked to have the outline as desired in particular instances. I

The door of corkboard 23 is supported on a frame '24, preferably of steel, which is hinged at one side by the hinges 24a to a vertical angle iron. Any suitable desired form of clamping lock 24?) or equivalent may be employed to retain the door in closed position under pressure to mechanically seal against leakage of air currents, and heat losses.

The metal frame 24 of the door, as appears, is disposed wholly on the exterior of the corkboard door 23.

If desired, the door corkboard slab 23 may carry a frame of wood 62, see Figs. 3 and 4, the side, bottom and top members of which are angularly cut at their exposed faces toconform to the exposed angular faces of the fixed frame 60, 61.

A mechanical seal may also be had by the provision of the stripping 63 secured to and extending from the four sides of the fixed wooden frame 60, 61, to engage with the abutting sides of the corkboard door wall 23, or the frame 60, 61.

In Fig. 6 I illustrate diagrammatically the relative density of the exterior facial portions 64 as composed with the central portions and the intermediate portions 66 of the mass of corkboard when formed of granules. By my process of baking cork, as set forth in my aforesaid co-pending application Serial No. 223,300 the exterior facial portions of the corkboard slab are rendered relatively dense and substantially devoid of pores or other apertures, whereas the intermediate portions 66 of the corkboard mass are of less density and the central portion 65 of still less density, thus imparting a high thermal insulation to each wall, combined with an average low weight of cork per volume of the mass.

In Fig. 7, the slab of corkboard is illustrated as formed of flakes or other thin flat particles of cork, and by my aforesaid process of baking, the exterior facial portions 67 of the. mass are relatively dense as compared with the central portion 68, and the intermediate portions (39 are of intermediate density.

Similar relative densities are of the exterior facial portions and interior portions are obtained when the raw cork material is in the form of plates of relatively thick thickness, as compared with flakes.

As above arranged, the refrigerating cabinot per se extends between the set of intermediate angle irons 17 and the set of top angle irons 16, thus providing for a. space or 'the intermediateangle irons 17 and the set of bottom angle irons 16. Such space is advantageously utilized for the reception of a refrigerating unit, if it is desired to employ my refrigerator cabinet with an ice making refrigerating unit.

Preferably, my refrigerator is cooled by positive means for supplying chilled air. One sucharrangement is indicated in Figs. 2 and 3 and 4. Any desired or approved form of refrigerating unit may be employed. In Figs. 2 and 3, I have indicated the compressor 25 of regulation type; one gear of the chain of gearing is indicated at 26, which is secured to the shaft 27, see Fig. 3, of the pulley 28, which is driven by the belt 29 passing over the drive pulley 30 on the shaft of the motor 31. The center line of the motor shaft is disposed below the center line of the shaft 27 and one lead of the belt 29 engages under tension the upper portion of the pulley 32 on the shaft 33 to thereby drive and rotate the pulley 32 simultaneously with the rotation of the pulley 28. The radiator of the unit is indicated at 34, and its fan 35 is shown mounted on the shaft 33. The expansion valve of the refrigerating unit appears at 36, and the expansion coil at 37, in this instance extending within and about the four walls 38'of the refrigeration chamber 39, usually employed also for receiving trays for making cubes of ice, or so-called table ice.

Pursuant to my invention I dispose the refrigerating chamber 39 within the compartment 40, the walls of which are substantially wholly formed of corkboard, as above described, or of other thermal insulating material, for the purpose of chilling the air content of such compartment 40 and positively force the chilled air into the interior of the refrigerator cabinet. As one form of such provisions of means, I employ a fan 41 which is disposed within the compartment 40 and may be mounted on the shaft 33 by extending the shaft 33 through the gasketed opening 42 in the wall 43 of the compartment 40. Such fan 41 is disposed within a hollow housing 44 and proximate to the opening 45 of such housing 44, which in turn is in close proximity to the walls 38 of the refrigerating chamber or unit 39. The housing 44 extends upwardly as through the upper wall 46 of the compartment 40, and then leads to a suitable portion of the interior of the hollow cabinet, preferably an upper portion thereof, as by means of the channel 47, in the form of a. flat hollow metal conduit, the discharge opening 48 of which is preferably disposed at or adjarcut. a rear corner within the interior of the cabinet. For returning the air from the interior of the cabinet to the refrigerating compartment or unit 40, I provide the return tion of the cabinet interior as by disposing the channel 49 in the bottom wall 20 of thecabinet and extending through the upper wall The thermostat is positioned within the interior of the refrigerating cabinet and is perature,

preferably disposed toward the rear of the interior of the cabinet and opposite of the location of the outlet 48 of the chilled air su ply channel 47. The thermostat 50 may ositioned in a gasketed opening 51 extendmg through the rear wall 18 to seal against temperature leakage, and thus also gain the advantage of locating the leads of the thermostat wholly exteriorly of the cabinet. The bottom wall of the refrigerating chamber 40 is indicated at 51; the door 52 is shown as the front wall of the refrigerating unit 38.

The compartment 40 of the refrigeration unit 38 is preferably formed of integral corkboard masses respectively constituting the sides, bottom, top and front walls, similar to the aforesaid construction of my refrigerating cabinet per se.

For simplicity of construction, and for attaining thermal insulation of the mechanical parts, the refrigerating unit 38 may be suspended within the compartment 40, see Fig. 2, by means of the metal straps 53, which are anchored on metal plates 54 within the sealed recesses 55, located between the top wall 46 of the compartment 40 and the bottom wall 20 of the refrigerating cabinet.

Pursuant to my invention of refrigeration, the thermostat may be set at any selected temsay 40 F. for the location indicated in Fig. 1 at 50 on the drawings, thus insuring when the door of the refrigerator cabinet is closed low temperature within the cabinet at the lower portions of the cabinet. Upon raising of the temperature within the cabinet, with or without the accompaniment of opening the door incident to the use of the cabinet, the refrigerating unit is set into operation as long as the temperature at the location of the thermostat exceeds the temperature at which the thermostat is set, and the refrigerating unit continues in operation until the temperature at the location of the thermostat is lowered below the set temperature of the thermostat. During the opera tion of the refrigerating unit, the cooled air is positively forced from the refrigerating unit into the interior of the cabinet, thus lowering correspondingly to the desired reduced temperature throughout the interior of the cabinet.

Compared with ice making refrigerators of present day arrangement, wherein the ice refrigerating unit is disposed within the cabinet and the thermostat positioned closely adjacent to the refrigerating unit, the portions of the interior of the cabinet other than B 46 of the refrigerating compartment or unit the location of the refrigerat' unit are cooled solely by the'relatively s ow downward flow of the relatively cool air and the,

displacement by slower upward flow of the relatively warm air. The displacement of the cooled air and of the warm air flows is further obstructed by the presence of shelves,

dishes and food stuff placed on the shelves incident to the use of the cabinet; accordingly in refrigerating cabinets of present day construction and method of refri eration the region within the cabinet tower the top and opposite to the location of the-refrigerating unit is keptat a relatively high temperature for long periods.

Relative high atmospheric temperature tends to increase the period of high tem erature within the upper regions of the ca inet and particularly when the door is opened frequently.

By my method of refrigeration, the thermostat is set correspondingly to the average atmospheric temperature of the place of use of the cabinet, and for the nature of use per se of the cabinet.

Whereas I havedescribed my invention by reference to specific forms thereof, it willbe understood that many changes and modifications will be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. r

I claim.

1. A refrigerating cabinet including walls of cork each wall bein molded substantially to finished contour an having crust-like exterior surfaces materially denser than its interior to provide a nonporous air sealing surface while preserving a relatively less dense interior having relatively higher insulating properties than the denser exterior, supports interior of the cabinet attached to and sup.- ported by the relatively denser portions of said walls, and a frame supporting said walls, the frame being disposed wholly exteriorly of the cabinet whereby the supports are enclosed in and supported by the cork insulation independently of the framework supporting the walls.

2. A refrigerating cabinet comprising cork walls; supports within the cabinet; a framework disposed exteriorly of the cab inet; each wall comprising a molded cork mass having an interior possessing good in sulating properties, said interior consisting of ex anded cork particles, and a crust-like exterior materially denser than the interior, the exterior comprising compressed cork particles providing an air seal' smooth surface, the sup orts disposed interiorly of the cabinet being attached to the relatively denser portion of the wall and supported thereby, the frame being disposed wholly exteriorly of the cabinet and cooperating with the relatively dense crust-like exterior of the walls to maintain the individual cork walls in cooperative relationship; and

, relatively a door supported Wholly by the frame, said door including an exterior frame and a cork slab molded to finished contour, the cork slab having a relatively dense air sealing exterior comprising compressed cork granules and an interior possessing good insulating properties, the interior consisting of expanded cork granules.

In testimony whereof I have signed this i0 specification this 7th day of June, 1927.

WILLIAM F. GRUPE. 

